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Celebrated Dwarves & Midgets

WhistlingJack

Gone But Not Forgotten
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We don't seem to have a thread on this subject, so I'll use this story to initiate one: -

India's shortest actor makes waves

By John Mary, Trivandrum

He is 2ft 5in tall (76cm), weighs 28kg (61 pounds), and is already a film star.

South Indian actor Ajay Kumar has surely turned the logic of a hero on its head.

In his debut feature, Atbhutha Dweep (Wonder Island), Kumar performs stunts, rides a horse at 45 kph and cavorts with a lover.

The film, with a cast of 360 dwarfs defending their kingdom, has been a box-office hit.

"I think the image of hero has changed. I am not glamorous like other superstars but viewers like the talented, character artiste in me," says the shortest actor in Indian cinema.

Director Vinayan is full of praise for new 28-year-old Kumar, who is also an economics graduate.

"When he approached me after his degree for a role, I simply laughed and taunted him, asking him what he thought of marriage. 'Sir I want to marry a tall girl,' he said. That's what made me cast him in a lead role with the tall princess in Atbhutha Dweep," he says.

Kumar has already acted in 18 films - his latest hit is a Tamil movie, Dinshum, in which he again plays the hero.

Although Kumar lost his princess to the villain in the film, in real life he recently won the hand of a girl much taller than him.

Gayatri, 19, a government health inspector, stands more than twice as high at 5ft 2 ins.

"It's been an arranged marriage. But nobody compelled me into wedlock. I like him and feel secure in his hands," says the bride.

Ajay Kumar questioned her for nearly three-and-a-half hours before popping the question himself.

"Marrying a girl of normal height has been a dream ever since a girl spurned me at college. Jilted, of course, but sure it steeled my resolve," says Kumar.

He is currently filming on the sets of a popular television series, Five Star Thattukada (Wayside Eatery), at the lake village of Kumarakom in Kerala.

"We are looking forward to a long, prosperous life, and hope to be blessed with children with normal height," he says.

Hailing from Ayemanam, the village made famous by Booker prize-winner Arundhati Roy in her novel, The God of Small Things , Kumar comes across as every bit a fighter.

His mother Ambujakshy says her world "came crashing down" when they found out her son was a dwarf.

"It was a shock. My only prayer was my child should walk on his own," she says.

Her prayers were answered.

When Kumar was four, he climbed all 1,008 steps of the historic Subramanya temple at Palani in Tamil Nadu with his mother.

"It was a miracle. He climbed the steps, each half his body length. That was the ultimate test and I knew I'll never come to grief," said Ambujakshy, who used to carry her son to school.

Quite early on Kumar showed his talent, playing with tins and plates at home to make music.

The break came when he won a prize in story telling in primary school.

After school he began performing on stage.

"The little wonder was an instant hit on stage. There was never a dull moment with him and he began to earn enough to keep the family hearth burning," says his father Radhakrishna Pillai, a taxi driver, who has been fighting a slew of illnesses.

"He earned enough to pay for the marriage of my two daughters and has built two houses."

But when Kumar sought admission to a private school, the headmaster rebuked his parents in public, saying their son would not be able to climb the steps to the school.

"It was the first public ridicule from a person in authority. I used to brush aside taunts and sneers from mates. But this virtually sapped me," says Kumar.

When he entered college, his mother bought a scooter and the mother and son rode to the college and back. After a while, friends took over the chore of dropping him.

Now the ambitious little actor is aiming for a break in Hollywood.

"My star value has definitely gone up. I'm improving my English too, especially after a Hollywood director evinced interest in a re-make of Dweep," said the actor, who also set up an association of dwarfs.

The Kerala Small Men Association has 300 members across the state and is demanding what it calls "special recognition" from the government.

The men want job quotas, free bus rides and other facilities.

The association's height limit is 135cm (54 inches).


Story from BBC NEWS:

Published: 2006/04/03 11:36:21 GMT

© BBC MMVI

Scradje
 
My favorite "little person" was Michael Dunn, The original Dr Loveless from the "wild wild west" TV series.
He devoted his life to the medical treatment and overall advancement of little people, founding the Michael Dunn foundation for these and other goals.
He even had special housing made for little people to stay in while undergoing medical treatment away from home. These structures were all scaled down to the appropriate size for smaller folks so they did not have to use chairs or ladders to go about everyday life,and best of all they were at no cost to the tennants.
They were called "stay free mini pads". ;)
 
My favourite dwarfs are those in Herzog's fillum Even Dwarfs Started Small. Only dwarfs appear in the film. It is curious that the director who claims he admired and loved his cast of small people cannot remember a single one by name in his commentary on the DVD!

After those, my favourite must be the Parisian facial-contortionist called Le Clair. Nothing much remains of his ephemeral performances but he had consequences by inspiring the cartoon dwarf Mayeux:

http://www.btinternet.com/~j.b.w/rigo1.htm

About time that old web-shite had a make-over methinks! :shock:
 
I was also a fan of Billy Barty, He also had an extensive film and TV career,
and became a regular on the Red Skelton show as well as guest starring on many comedies through the years.
 
Don't forget Barty's friend, the great Angelo Rossitto, who is probably best known for Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, but had a long career in film and television, appearing in a large number of cult movies including the notorious Freaks.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0744441/
 
Bridget Powers is a well-known adult actress and charming personaility who has appeared many times on Howard Stern's show.
American erotic film actress Bridget Powers, (sometimes credited as Bridget Powerz, Bridget "the Midget" Powers or Bridgette, was born October 11, 1980). She is a little person.

Her height is 3' 10" (1.17 m). She is a co-host on Ed Powers' radio show Bedtime Stories. She is also in a band named Blakkout. Her measurements are 28A-22-32.

She was discovered at a Goth nightclub by a woman casting for an adult movie.

In addition to her erotic film roles, she has appeared in mainstream films such as S.W.A.T. and independent films such as Tiptoes. She also appeared, as herself, in an episode of the television series The Roseanne Show.

She appeared as herself in the 2002 HBO documentary series Cathouse which explored the lives of the owners, management, staff and customers of the Moonlight Bunny Ranch brothel in Reno, Nevada. As "Bridget the Midget", she was featured in an episode of the History Channel series Wild West Tech.
 
My most favorite of recent years has been Josh Ryan Evans,
Who played a regular on a strange "detergent drama" popular here in the states called passions, also starring Juliet Mills.
Here is a tribute page to him,he died recently at the age of 20 due to a heart ailment. http://soaps.about.com/library/weekly/aa080802a.htm
 
There's a fair list of them at the bottom of this Wikipedia page, altho it oddly doesn't include Rossitto, or the American comedian Tanya Lee Davis, who describes herself as "the Ferrari of comedy - low to the ground and kind of racy" :lol:
 
I mentioned this in passing on the tattoo thread but I spotted this interesting factoid:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herv%C3%A9_Villechaize

Villechaize suffered from dwarfism due to a thyroid dysfunction, despite his surgeon father's attempts to cure the disease in several institutions. In later years, he insisted on being called a midget, rather than "little person," irritating activists like Billy Barty.

Which sort of reminds me of the euphemism treadmill where euphemism can become utterly meaningless:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphemism# ... eadmill.22

I mean... "little person"? Midget and dwarf are quite specific terms but little person?

------------
Anyway some news (source has a photo):

Nepali Boy May Be World's Smallest Person

A 14-year-old Nepali boy who is only 50 centimetres (20 inches) tall has been put forward for a Guinness world record as the world's smallest person.

"We found out that a Jordanian boy holds a record in the Guinness Book of World Records and he is 25.5 inches tall. But Khagendra is 5.5 inches smaller than the Jordanian guy, so we sent an application to the Guinness Book of World Records", said Min Bahadur Rana, president of an organization set up to collect funds for the boy.

Fourteen-year-old Khagendra Thapa Magar weighs only 4.5 kilograms and will be taken on tour round Nepal to raise money.

"We show him in exhibitions to collect fund for his education, health and future", said his father in an interview.

www.thenewsvault.com/cgi/news.pl?t=567

See also this story of a newborn baby that taller than him:

www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 733#658733
 
By all accounts the Dwarf Olympics is currently being held near to me, in fact I met up with some people this evening who had apparently just come from the 'Olympic Village'. I shall endeavour to find out more.
 
I had no idea there was such a thing. Is it actually called Dwarf Olympics rather than Little People Olympics?
 
Two words: Weng Weng - late, lamented phillipino sex symbol, action hero and idol of millions - only made a handful of films, but they rank among some of the most...unique... ever made. Must be seen to be believed.
 
Romeo Dev, the world's smallest bodybuilder
By Tom Chivers and agencies
Last Updated: 5:42pm GMT 12/02/2008

At 2'9" and a mere one and a half stone, Aditya "Romeo" Dev is the world's smallest bodybuilder.

Using custom-built 1.5kg dumbbells, Romeo, 19, pumps iron daily to prove that small is beautiful.

While most dwarfs have large heads compared to their bodies, Romeo is perfectly proportioned, and despite his diminutive stature has triceps, biceps, calves and thighs that would make many a full-grown man blush.

He was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records in 2006 following three months of intense exercise.

Large crowds regularly flock to watch him at his gym in Punjab, where as well as weight-training and push-ups Romeo is training to be a dancer.

"I've been training as a bodybuilder for the last two years and by now I think I must be the strongest dwarf in the world," said Romeo.

"I have always been fit but since I started working out I have become famous for my strength.

"My size has never stopped me. I train with dumbbells and do aerobics and dance. People are always pleased to see me – I have been invited on TV shows and dance on stage."

Ranjeet Pal, Romeo's trainer and a friend of his family who runs a gym in his home town of Phagwara, says that Romeo has never let his size get in his way. "Romeo trains more or less the same as anyone else and he's much more determined," he said.

"When he first started I insisted he did a month of basic exercises like aerobics, push-ups and basic gymnastics to prepare his body.

"After that I specially made lightweight dumbbells and taught him basic weight-lifting exercises to shape his biceps and triceps. His size and his weight were taken care of so that he never hurt himself."

Romeo is famous in his home country, and his father has spoken of his pride in his son's determination to overcome any difficulties in his path. "He has never been bothered at being so small. He has no inferiority complex. He is the jewel of our family."

Having made his way in to the record books, Romeo says that he wants to dance on stage. "My dream is to travel a lot – I want to perform in London with my idol, Jazzy-B," he says.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/12/wromeo112.xml&CMP=ILC-mostviewedbox

Photos on page

Edit: Link Resized. P_M
 
He seems fit, but not that muscular compared to other bodybuilders. I remember in Macy Grays video Sexual Revolution or something like that, she had a bodybuilder dwarf.
 
Why in the world does it take somebody from the wrong side of the Pond to mention Jimmy Clitheroe? <g>
 
Here's a celebrated dwarf:
News story

He's an Australian kid who was bullied at school for his condition, his mother posted a video online of the poor guy's distress, and now he's one of the most famous and supported dwarfs in the world. In case you were thinking of giving up on humanity.
 
There's a nasty story going round on social media that the lad is actually a 17 or 19 year-old actor who's pulling a stunt to raise money. If so I don't think he could fool two entire rugby clubs!
 
Mad! People actually wanting him to kick them in the nuts?
[Shakes head]
WTF.
 
Guinness has re-certified this Colombian man as the shortest known living man in the world.
Edward Nino Hernandez breaks world's shortest living man record

Edward Nino Hernandez, of Colombia, is the world's shortest man living, Guinness World Records said Tuesday.

The world record title was awarded amid his birthday celebration as he turned 34 on Monday, Guinness World Records said in a statement.

Hernandez has achieved the title at 2 feet, 4.39 inches tall. ...

Hernandez grew up reaching the regular milestones, but realized at age 4, his friends were growing taller than him. His parents sought medical advice at the time, but the reason his growth was stunted wasn't discovered until about 20 years later when he was diagnosed with severe hypothyroidism.

The diagnosis hasn't stopped Hernandez from having a positive attitude and enjoying life.

He can sometimes be seen dancing in the streets to Reggaeton, Merengue and Vallenato music.

"I use my smile to conquer the world! I always share my big smile with everyone; that's my charm," Hernandez said. "I can achieve everything I set my mind to. Everything is possible . . . Size and height don't matter! I want people to meet who I truly am: small in size, big in heart!"

This isn't the first time that Hernandez has earned the record title.

At age 24, he also held the same title on April 13, 2010, at 2 feet, 3.64 inches tall. Khagendra Thapa Magar broke the record on October 14, 2010 at 2 feet, 2.41 inches tall. Magar died on January 17.

Now, Hernandez has regained the title.

SOURCE (With Video): https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2020/0...lds-shortest-living-man-record/3111589295492/
 
I am surprised that no one has mentioned the name of the actor who plays Tyrion Lannister, The Imp, in Game of Thrones. (If they have, then sorry, I've missed it.) My theory - and perhaps someone can confirm this? - is that the inspiration for that character comes from the painter Toulouse Lautrec.

Another actor I like is Warwick Davis. He was particularly good in the fantasy series 10th Kingdom in which he plays a character called Acorn
 
There was also ''Michu'' a.k.a ''Mighty Michu'', real name - Michu Meszaros who was an actor and circus performer perhaps best known these days for being under the costume of the t.v alien ALF (from the show of the same name).

michu.png


His Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michu_Meszaros
His IMDB page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0582361/
 

Iran's Afshin Ghaderzadeh Is Crowned The World's Shortest Man


Guinness World Records has announced that Iran's Afshin Esmaeil Ghaderzadeh has become the world's shortest man as of Tuesday, after measuring 7 centimetre shorter than the previous record holder. Twenty-year-old Afshin Esmaeil Ghaderzadeh is the world's shortest man now, with a height of 65.24 centimetres (2 feet, 1.6 inches).

8dso51oo_afshin-ghaderzadeh_625x300_15_December_22.jpg


According to Guinness World Records, he is almost 7 centimetres (2.7 inches) shorter than the previous record holder, 36-year-old Edward "Nino" Hernandez (Colombia).

https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/watch-...eh-is-crowned-the-worlds-shortest-man-3610680

maximus otter
 
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